Calf Disbudding

With animal welfare being paramount, a change in law preventing calf disbudding without the use of adequate pain relief is going to occur in the near future.

Recommended Best Practise states that “pain relief should be provided when animals are disbudded or dehorned” and research suggests that the disbudding age, method, and use of analgesics such as local anaesthetic and NSAID’s – non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs can reduce pain response and increase growth rates.

At VetEnt we provide a calf disbudding service to ensure horn buds are removed effectively at the correct time with minimal pain and discomfort to the animal. It is recommended that calves are disbudded between the age of 2 and 6 weeks, this allows for ease of handling, reduced stress levels and minimal tissue damage.

With our sedation service there is the extra benefit of being able to check for and remove extra teats. Additionally, tagging, BVD/parentage ear notch testing and vaccinating can all be done whilst the calves are sedated.

Your Options

Option One (Bronze)

Local anaesthetic to numb horn.

Option Two (Silver)

Local anaesthetic to numb horn.

Ongoing pain relief lasting three days (Metacam)

Option Three (Gold)

Local anaesthetic to numb horn

Sedation with Xylazine

Teat removal

Option Four (Platinum)

Local anaesthetic to numb horn

Sedation with Xylazine

Ongoing pain relief lasting three days (Metacam)

Teat removal

To find out more on this service and to book, please contact your local clinic.